Delaware NEWS

Governor John Carney signed legislation on Thursday (September 7, 2017) that will allow Delaware to better control the growing cost of health care — which is eating up 30 percent of the state's budget and on track to double in the next decade.

The state budget might be shrinking, but Delawareans' waist sizes are not. The adult obesity rate in Delaware is 30.7 percent, which is the 23rd highest in the country, according to a report Thursday from the Trust for American's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

March 28 is American Diabetes Alert Day and Quality Insights Quality Innovation Network’s Everyone with Diabetes Counts (EDC) program is working with patients, healthcare providers and community organizations in Delaware to raise awareness, share information about how to lower risk factors for getting diabetes, and help those who have diabetes learn to best manage their condition for a healthier life.

Join the Great Rivers Affiliate of the American Heart Associations (AHA) on Saturday, February 25, 2017 for an unforgettable evening of entertainment and hope at the 2017 Wilmington Heart Ball. Each year, community members, medical professionals and corporate leaders come together to celebrate the lifesaving work of the AHA.

According to an article in The News Journal, a 98 year old New Castle County woman on Monday became the second state resident to die from flu during the 2016-17 season. the woman, who was diagnosed with influenza strain A, had multiple health issues and the flu contributed to her death, according to state officials.

According to The News Journal, two-thirds of adult Delawareans are classified as either overweight or obese. To start out the new year on a positive note and begin reversing this trend, many may be contemplating weight loss as a New Year’s resolution.

Many American communities lack environments that could support healthy diets and regular physical activity. Healthy dietary and physical activity practices can lower the risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.

According to an article by Shirley Min posted on newswork.org, while the state has made progress in the fight against heroin and opioid addiction, Delaware Attorney General Matt Denn said more needs to be done.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released new data showing that Delaware, among other states, has reduced its avoidable hospital readmission rates since 2010. The improvement follows the implementation of various CMS programs and initiatives to improve the quality of care, chief among them the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program.

Did you know that people who have diabetes—both type 1 and type 2—feel the heat more than people who don't have diabetes?

Certain diabetes complications, such as damage to blood vessels and nerves, can affect your sweat glands so your body can't cool as effectively. That can lead to heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which is a medical emergency.

The pervasiveness of diabetes in the state of Delaware is growing at a rapid pace. According to HealthyDelaware.com, the prevalence of diabetes has almost doubled, from 4.9 percent in 1991 to 9.9 percent in 2013.

With temperatures expected to rise into the 90’s this week, with heat indexes ('feels like') over 100 degrees, the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) reminds residents to take precautions. Hot weather can cause heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and severe respiratory conditions, which can be fatal.

State officials are trying to tighten down regulations controlling how - and how often - Delaware doctors can prescribe opioid painkillers.

The goal, they say, is to help prevent addiction issues among Delawareans by limiting access to these drugs on the front end, tackling a problem that sees someone die in the state every two days on average from an opioid overdose.

It also dovetails with new guidelines put out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

March 22 is American Diabetes Alert Day and Quality Insights Quality Innovation Network’s Everyone with Diabetes Counts (EDC) program is working with patients, healthcare providers and community organizations in Delaware to raise awareness, share information about how to lower risk factors for getting diabetes, and help those who have diabetes learn to best manage their condition for a healthier life.

Today, the American Lung Association released its 14th annual “State of Tobacco Control” report that finds that in 2015 Delaware had mixed results on tobacco control policies that will save lives. The report also finds that most states and the federal government earned poor grades, and the high level of youth use of tobacco products other than cigarettes threatens to undermine the United States’ overall progress in the fight against tobacco-caused death and disease.